Scuffgate: Will Apple have to recall the iPhone 5?

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The iPhone 4 had Antennagate, the 4S had Siri’s “pro-life” glitch — and now, the iPhone 5 has a scandal all of its own. If hundreds of consumer reports are to be believed, it seems that 30 to 40% of all iPhone 5s are arriving with scuff marks — damage to the sides and back of the case that range from minor abrasions, all the way through to nicks where the coating of the phone has been completely removed, exposing the aluminium chassis beneath.

Scuffgate doesn’t seem to be a localized issue: There have been lots of reports from the west coast of the US, of course, but users in Europe and Hong Kong are also reporting scuffed phones. The damage isn’t being caused by overzealous Apple fans, desperate to get their sterilized tentacles on the new iPhone, either: The scuffed iPhones are seemingly already damaged when they arrive, before anyone has had a chance to finger them aggressively.

What could possibly be causing the damage? Let’s investigate.

Anodization

Before we start, let’s run through the iPhone 5’s construction, which is quite different from the iPhone 4 and 4S. While its predecessors were made from stainless steel, the iPhone 5 is made from aluminium. Aluminium is lighter than steel (which is one of the reasons that the iPhone 5 is 20 grams lighter than the 4S), but it’s also a very soft metal. To make it a little more rugged, the back and sides of the iPhone 5 are anodized.

In its base state, the surface of a piece of aluminium very rapidly forms aluminium oxide. Aluminium oxide makes the aluminium more resistant to wear and tear, among other additional benefits. The problem is, though, this natural oxide layer is very thin (on the order of a few nanometers). Anodization is a process that creates a much thicker layer of aluminium oxide (a few microns; a few thousand times thicker than normal oxidation). Anodization also tends to create a bumpy texture, which can then be used to apply paints/dyes (which don’t stick to raw aluminium).

If you’d like an explanation of how a product is actually anodized, watch the video below:

Now, anodization definitely makes a piece of aluminium tougher — but it doesn’t make it that tough. You probably won’t rub through an anodized layer with your fingers or nails, but another piece of metal will easily remove anodization. Usually another protective layer of sealant or lacquer is added to make the it more wear-resistant — but sadly it seems like the iPhone 5 lacks that extra protection.

As you can see in the (adorable) video below, a two-year-old has no problem scuffing the iPhone 5.

But where is it being scuffed?

The question, though, is how are the new iPhones being scuffed before they’re unboxed? Without being privy to Apple’s entire supply chain, we can only guess — but really, there are only two options: While being manufactured, and/or during shipping.

It is possible that the anodized coating is so soft that it’s being scuffed by Foxconn’s workers at the iPhone 5 production line in Taiyuan, China. Putting an iPhone together is fiddly business, and there are undoubtedly times when a worker’s tools might accidentally scratch the case. There are also robotic arms and conveyor belts involved in the production process — if either of those are too overzealous, scuffs could occur.

The problem with this answer, though, is that the phones wouldn’t pass quality assurance (QA) — unless QA itself was causing the scuff marks, or if the damage was caused after QA (perhaps as the phones are being boxed).

Once the iPhone 5 is boxed, it’s held firmly in place by plastic and paper — two materials that really shouldn’t scuff the anodized coating, and there isn’t enough room for the phone to rub backwards and forwards anyway. There are plastic protectors on the front and back of the device, too.

It seems most likely that the scuffs are being caused at the production line in China.

Scuffgate

In addition to out-of-the-box damage, many users are also reporting that it’s incredibly easy to scuff an iPhone 5 through everyday usage. Over on MacRumors, 36% of 1,300 polled users reported that their phone was scuffed out of the box, and a further 10% had inadvertently damaged it within a few hours. Again, in the iFixit video above, you can see that the anodized coating on the chamfered edge is incredibly easy to rub off.

Really, any way you look at it, your iPhone 5 will probably end up looking like a wreck after a few weeks of use. Unless, of course, you protect it with a case… which is kind of ironic, considering Apple is at pains to impress upon us how many millions of man hours it took to re-engineer the iPhone 5 to make it the thinnest, lightest, and most beautiful smartphone ever to grace this planet.

If you have a damaged iPhone 5, Apple Stores will apparently replace it. If the MacRumors poll really is representative, though — if a full 45% of shipped iPhones are damaged, or easy to damage — then the problem is obviously endemic to the iPhone 5’s design and anodized chassis, and perhaps a full product recall is in order.

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chojin999

Please.. still more Apple bashing?
The reports tell of a few hundreds customers that might be affected out of millions units already sold.
Big deal.
Other manufacturers have a much higher defective rate and failure rate.

http://www.mrseb.co.uk/ Sebastian Anthony

It’s 40% out of a sample of 1,300. Admittedly that’s a sample of techy types (so they’ll be looking closer), it’s pretty obvious that the iPhone 5 IS susceptible to scratching.

It’s just a matter of how visible the scuffing is, I guess — whether you have to peer really closely, or if it’s easily visible. If you watch the video, it looks pretty visible.

http://twitter.com/bryandobson Bryan Dobson

Provided there all telling the truth. Providing the number was not bumped up from people who dislike Apple. Yes, it is a high number but let’s be realistic for its margin of error.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_EKNZKJ5LBTYYEUH4NCSPTGFGGE Eric

Yeah, there must be a bunch of apple haters who spend large sums of money to buy and activate a phone they LOATHE…

Get real..

Sarah Keates

I have a apple iPhone 5 I have got a dent bottom of phone and few marks on aliminum at top! I’m not pleased !!

PhilipNicolcev

Methinks thou dost not understandeth the concept of samples and percentages.

http://www.facebook.com/ian.skinner.9 Ian Skinner

There is no reason, if this is at least a Mil. spec, Hard anodized product for it to scuff and chip. I used to make car and mountain bike parts from Aluminium 6061/7075 and it would take MONTHS of constant wear; dirt, cleaning and handling for a discolouration to start to occur. So a few things must be happening here; The aluminium they are using to make the cases is not of an alloy that lends it’s self to holding an anodising and/or the process being used is faulty and not being hardened. Either way, in this day and age it’s almost laughable that this occurs on a high level product.

http://www.mrseb.co.uk/ Sebastian Anthony

Yeah, I would guess that it’s a very thin layer — or it isn’t being sealed properly.

The thing is, Apple has a lot of experience with anodization — many/all of its smaller iPods are anodized (the fancy-coloured ones). It knows how to make a tough anodized product…

http://www.facebook.com/ian.skinner.9 Ian Skinner

People will find out pretty quick how well the product has anodised, no ‘hardening’, means that the Sun will start to bleach out the dye, how fast it does this will be representative of how thin the anodising actually is..

http://www.facebook.com/john.jones.52035 John Jones

“if this is at least a mil spec”? Since when did cell phones need to follow military specifications?

John

Military has low standards for aesthetics, they build it for cheap, not pretty.

http://www.facebook.com/j.c.robinson Jay Robinson

They don’t “need” to. But Mil Spec is a widely-available, and thus commonly-cited, standard for all sorts of manufacturing.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003604726840 Jim Neil

fanboy excuses are endless…there could have been a shit in a box and you’d defend Apple

fduch

>re-engineer the iPhone 5 to make it the thinnest, lightest, and most beautiful smartphone ever to grace this planet

>thinnest ever
Lie. It’s not even a third.

>lightest ever
Lie.

>most beautiful smartphone ever
Subjective… probably another lie.

Xplorer4x4

I am not an Apple fan, but care to elaborate or do you prefer to just look ignorant?

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_EKNZKJ5LBTYYEUH4NCSPTGFGGE Eric

I will at least second fduch’s second point… Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Nobody can say something is hands down more beautiful than something else for the whole universe…. because someone will disagree, like your girlfriend…

:-)

You got lucky there…

(just kidding on the 3rd sentence, even if it is structured poorly… there, you can’t fault my grammar, punctuation, or OPINION, even if it wasn’t serious)

You have to realize that not everyone has the same ideals that dictate to them what is Beauty.

Xplorer4x4

Eric my point was poorly stated perhaps. I was simply looking for facts to back up his statements. For example, he claims the iPhone 5 is not the thinnest or lightest ever. Is it? Maybe, maybe not, but he made the claims and doesn’t even bother to site an example. If he had said the Droid Razr HD is thinner, and/or lighter(it may or may not be, just using it as an example), I wouldn’t have made my comment. However, is comments are about as baseless as Apple claiming the iPhone 5 is the “most beautiful smartphone ever” since he doesn’t at least mention anything to back up the claim.

JDRahman

I would like to predict that everything that can go wrong will go wrong for Apple.
Sell your stock right now, while its still near $700. Unless you just bought it, in which case you’re screwed.

The only real hope for Apple is to have Steve Jobs cloned. Baby Jobs can probably do a better job at leading Apple than Tim Cook.

http://www.facebook.com/itsdamanib Damani Brown

Apple was up 15 points today. :)

JDRahman

Apple was ~$706 last week

Steve

Apple was at 380 a year ago after the huge failure of the 4S. I dread to think what the 5 will do…

JDRahman

Maybe you should re-read my comment.
Sell you stock while its close to $700 to make a profit. Get it?
Unless you just bought it, in which case youre screwed because its going down. $706 last week, $659 yesterday. Comprende?

Why must people like you always be spoonfed everything?
Even when something is just plain simple common sense.

Clone Steve Jobs. There is no other way. Tim’s gotta go.

http://www.facebook.com/goateee Goatass Mcgee

JDRahman – while I don’t own any shiny fruit stock I just wanted to comment that you have the right to say I told you so.

Apple Inc.NASDAQ: AAPL – Mar 8 4:00pm ET
431.72+1.14‎ (0.26%‎)

willizen

You’re not honestly citing a macrumors poll to support this article, are you?

http://www.facebook.com/lucyparanormal Daniel Tiberius

Seems to be a place where a lot of Mac users go. It’s not like they polled about an iPhone on Android Police or something.

jamminJ

There’s anodized and then there is hard anodized. I think Apple didn’t specify and the mfr used the soft stuff.

http://www.facebook.com/ian.skinner.9 Ian Skinner

Hard anodising is a post process to the actually anodising, but it needs to be done right after the final rinse. It would be product suicide for any company with a high end product that’s anodised NOT to seal/hard anodise it.

warcaster

Yeah, seems like Apple sucks at this compared to HTC. HTC has been doing this for a while.

http://www.facebook.com/robert.kazanjy Robert Kazanjy

Ian, I’m more than a bit late to this thread but I have to disagree with your comment “Hard anodising is a post process to the actually anodising”… not per my experience with MIL-A-8625 Type III “hard anodizing”.

Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodizing and also MIL-A-8625 Type III. Anodizing can & does accept “post processing”, dyes & sealing but Type III is not just a post process to “regular” anodizing but a type in & of itself. It’s a matter of type (acid) & degree (thickness).

I missed the whole Scuffgate thing but Type III or even a decent Type II would have probably avoided the problem. Just a guess here, but I’m thinking they used Type I or a very skimpy Type II. :(

warcaster

Apple: “Huh? Why would we do that? Here, get this free $2 case that we sell for $29, customer.”

http://www.mrseb.co.uk/ Sebastian Anthony

1. Make scuffable case.
2. ????
3. Profit!!!

http://www.cardinalphoto.com David Cardinal

That’d work better if they’d actually had a case to sell us when we stopped by the store today. Sort of amazing they didn’t, when the “knock-off” booth nearby had plenty!

http://www.mrseb.co.uk/ Sebastian Anthony

Yeah, the lack of peripherals is pretty insane. I wonder why that happened…

brunnegd

Samsung paid off someone at the manufacturing plan to use steel wool on the iPhones.

http://www.facebook.com/sverrisson Hannes Sverrisson

The conclusion is that the phone is DESTROYED after being deliberately scratched with keys and a leather-man tool.
I guess Apple is bound by the same laws of physics as the rest of the universe.

They had quite a few “Big” upgrades in this iPhone. .5″ increase in screen size, LTE, and the loss of a few MM’s. All to lose a few measly grams of weight.

Honestly, my next phone the Lumia 920 weights 20+grams more than my current phone. I’m no muscle man by any means, but the weight of my phone doesn’t damper my ability to use my phone with one hand. My phone is built like a tank and has been dropped numerous times, with and without a case. Apple is about aesthetics though, and having to place a case around their “art” defeats the purpose of having this social / fashion statement.

http://www.facebook.com/robert.kazanjy Robert Kazanjy

lighter, thinner and lower the manufacturing costs…. all good things but not if performance suffers.

I seriously doubt that the typical iPhone user wants a scuffed up POS in their pocket after a few days. :(

PhilipNicolcev

So you think my phone, which doesn’t suffer from scuffing as badly as the iphone, is immune to the laws of physics?

http://www.facebook.com/sverrisson Hannes Sverrisson

If you deliberately scratch your phone with keys and leather-man, it probably scruffs (or scratches if its plain aluminum). The laws of physics was a joke because people seem to believe that Apple products are perfect.

PhilipNicolcev

Nope, it doesn’t scuff. I’ve had this phone for over a year now (nexus s) in a pocket with keys, and it goes through plenty of abuse with not a scratch on it. Since I’m no hipster and don’t exactly care very much about it, I just took out some of my keys and tried to put a scratch in the back. I raked them back and forth a few times. If I press down extremely hard, harder than is done in the video, I’m able to put a small scratch in it, but it is hard to see and does not remove the color or the gloss. It is nigh invulnerable. This iphone in the video is not at all scratch resistant by comparison.

J Scott Peter

Did you watch the video? The iPhone 4 does NOT scratch. It was designed as a durable product. The glass faces and stainless steel sides on my 2-year old iP4 look as spotless as when I got it…. and I don’t use a case. The iP5 will look shabby within mere days of normal usage.

http://www.facebook.com/robert.kazanjy Robert Kazanjy

I like Apple’s products but for a high end device like an iPhone to scuff or be scuffed right out of the box….not good.

A decent (& correct) anodizing would have prevented this. I have aluminum items MANY years older than any cell that have suffered minimal damage….Type III anodizing works!

Cheap anodizing is a joke….appropriate for junk product.

Guest

Small grammatical error. “Without being privy to Apple’s
entire supply chain, we can only guess — but really, there are only two
options: While being manufactured, and/or during shipping” The use of and/or here actually means there are three options, during manufacturing, during shipping, or a combination of both.

Otherwise nice work

http://www.mrseb.co.uk/ Sebastian Anthony

Hehe, I wasn’t sure about that myself — but decided that it was OK. There are only two possible ways it could be damaged — but yes, both ways might occur sequentially.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_EKNZKJ5LBTYYEUH4NCSPTGFGGE Eric

“The problem with this answer,
though, is that the phones wouldn’t pass quality assurance (QA) — unless
QA itself was causing the scuff marks, or if the damaged was caused
after QA (perhaps as the phones are being boxed).”

You missed it again… any chance you could help with my OCD and delete the extra d in “damage” from the above quote?

I just don’t get how your Word Processor misses things like this in grammar check… if you are not using Word, how do you check your articles?

BTW: that’s not the only error, only the one that bothers me the most..

I was surprised to see it after reading and commenting on so many of your other recent articles, though I may not have read ALL of them, those that I did read did not have any glaring errors.

I still have enjoyed the depth of information, the presentation style, and your participation in the comments section.

Keep it up. :-)

http://www.mrseb.co.uk/ Sebastian Anthony

Thanks, I’ll fix the typo.

http://twitter.com/indus49 indus49

Finger them aggressively? Nice wording.

http://www.mrseb.co.uk/ Sebastian Anthony

:D

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_EKNZKJ5LBTYYEUH4NCSPTGFGGE Eric

My thoughts exactly.. Apple fans standing in line for hours to get their fingers on a new toy to molest.

I could see an advertisement matching the images conjured.

Probably an Ad for a silicone phone cover, for safe fingering of such an easily scratched surface…

http://twitter.com/Logik007 Andrew S. Baker

I hope people realize that these observations and complaints about scratching are from Apple fans who have lined up (physically or virtually) to get the next great thing from Apple. It’s not like a platoon of anti-Apple maniacs has bought a bunch of phones for the sole purpose of complaining about Apple quality.

http://twitter.com/e420kush e420Kush

People act like this is the first phone or product to made that is PRONE to scratching. I mean come on. The silver on the back of the iPod touchs scratch even if you just slide it in and out of your pocket and never touch a set of keys. Or what about SPECK Candyshell cases that do the exact same thing, or any other brand of phone, HTC, Samsung, all have plastic that are not SCRATCH proof. Show me a phone that is 100% scratch proof plz. Also the iPhone glass is really strong front and back on the 4/4S its gorilla glass and it keeps getting stronger. Put a case on it, or put a zagg protector over it, i put cases on my macbook pro too. Just be smart about your phones, if you dont want it to get fucked up, put a case on it. If you want to rock your phone without a case on it, but accidental coverage or after market coverage and send it in for some BULLSHIT like a “bad reception or bad speaker” and get yourself a replacement after a few months of you and your kids trashing your phone. Use your brain people.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_EKNZKJ5LBTYYEUH4NCSPTGFGGE Eric

Reread the article…

These seem to be scratched before the packages are opened…

Not normal wear and tear…

Guest

Well people are complaining that it scratches too easy also…..in this ARTICLE. And I was responding to Andrew S. Baker. I was not responding to the article but a comment. So ya…Thanks for your comment. NOT….

Terminal Post

This comment gave me cancer.

Brett

It seems that anything can happen when you make 5-10 million phones. My iphone 5 is missing one small screw next to the lighting connection, where there should be 2. If they would send me a new screw I probably could install it but we will see what they say today.

http://profiles.google.com/tonycerdais Tony Cerda

They’re not holding it right.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_EKNZKJ5LBTYYEUH4NCSPTGFGGE Eric

:-)

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003604726840 Jim Neil

aye right….

vlackrs

hahahaha, sh*tty iphones. Who can buy this craps?

http://www.facebook.com/andrew.s.hodge Andrew Steven Hodge

Doesn’t matter. I’ll never buy one.

http://www.facebook.com/peterhlien Han Lien

Got a white iphone 5 with cosmetic burrs on multiple locations of the chamferred edge. Most were not to bad but the one on the front surface is very bad. Apple store employee examined my phone and said Apple (San Diego UTC location) is aware of the situation and is still determining the proper response for the problem. He logged my phone and asked me to wait and see what Apple will do in the coming weeks.

http://www.facebook.com/dave.kuhn3 Dave Kuhn

I find it so hilarious and frankly idiotic that people who hate on Apple products claim that people who like Apple’s stuff are all try-hard “hipsters”. I like Apple products because they are superior to the competition in just about every way. Better screen, camera, smoother more refined OS, more apps, superior apps etc. Not all of us are sheep who just buy Apple because it’s Apple. ALSO, this type of defect is the exact reason why people who camp out to get the VERY FIRST iPhone’s are foolish. Getting the first shipments of ANY completely redesigned or new product is not smart. Let them iron out the bugs first and wait a month or so. Never understand why people just HAVE to be the first ones with the iPhone. Does it really matter when you get it?

http://www.cardinalphoto.com David Cardinal

I’ll admit I like to get things first or early. I have an excuse — I’m usually writing about them — but either way its fun. However, wanting to get things first, and not owning up to the risks is, as you point out, kind of foolish. I’ve had plenty of review units that were DOA, defective, or needed to be recalled or patched by the time they arrived. Especially with the web spawning nearly infinite unboxing videos and reviews there is a lot of information that becomes available within days of a product shipment to help folks decide if they really want one.

FWIW, the iPhone 5 in our household arrived pristine, but now has a case ‘just in case.’

http://twitter.com/jared889 sergio

they gotta show it in the next party dont you see they think they gonna get laid while waiting in the queue outside applestore, thats they dont want to cover their phones,,,,

Guest

On a side note, the video above sure is “adorable”. That girl has a very nice mommy. :)

Good feature on these phones is that they have a VOIP and you can call over internet thru enum for free and not to use a middle guy (service provider)

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003604726840 Jim Neil

HAHAHA I hope so…I hope so

http://www.facebook.com/clynt.husband Clynt Husband

As an Anodiser who provides decorative and protective coatings to building elements I can tell you anodising coated properly does not scuff or flake it can ne rubbed wit ha stainless steel scourer and will not be damaged. I suspect there is something else going on here.

http://www.facebook.com/van.perl Van Perl

Gee whiz, do not expect Apple to correct the problem, the Apple Sheep are happy to be screwed again. It is a great rush they report.

http://twitter.com/jared889 sergio

and now where is the kids who say:iphone is built with superior materials

liguidez

Guess we know how Apple will be spending that 1 billion dollars (at least some of it) that it will be getting from Samsung…the rest should probably be used for more R&D so the next iPhone won’t be like the latest iteration.

http://www.facebook.com/lucyparanormal Daniel Tiberius

They have plenty more billions in the bank, I’m surprised they let this sort of thing get through. I guess it’s really all about profits and they might have known about it and just let it go because they knew they’d sell millions of these easily.

http://plus.google.com/u/0/117267007914144842979/ Xuanlong

I laughed when I read that this must have happened after the iPhones passed quality assurance. Haven’t people realized by now? Apple has no quality assurance! Otherwise scuffgate, antennagate, overheating, the battery draining bug, and other serious flaws that iPhones have launched with over the years shouldn’t have happened. But knowing Apple’s slimy tactics, this could very well just be their latest ploy to increase profits by selling more cases. Who knows.

Guest

“antennagate, overheating, the battery draining bug”
Those happen to not be QC issues.

theunoriginal

Didn’t Steve Jobs yell at everybody when he saw that the original ‘plastic’ screen of the iphone was all scuffed and scratched by his car keys when he kept the phone in his pocket? Apple had on a few weeks to go before launch and he had the Chinese manufacturers retool the entirely assembly line for better ‘glass’ screens. Everyone else at Apple said it couldn’t be done that quick. They were wrong and Steve was right. We miss you Steve. ‘Scuff-gate’ would never have happened with you still there

http://www.facebook.com/lucyparanormal Daniel Tiberius

Yeah Steve didn’t ef around, and it seems like his replacement does ef around.

Kent Herring

I think I know another point in time where scuffs may come from. When I ordered my ATT iPhone 5 it came shrink wrapped – but with the SIM card for my telephone number already installed. ATT distribution center works MUST have handled my phone after I ordered it to put in the nano-sim card, then shrink wrap it and FEDEX to me. So as we consider where scuffs come from – you must consider this as well as the cause for some issues. Luckily, my phone had no blemishes at all.

sqweasel

Right. Surely Apple is not to blame.

M1k3G

This is the reason I never buy a product at launch. I always wait until all the product defects have been ironed out. In this case though, I think I’m waiting for the 5S.

http://fennecweb.net/ Alexander ypema

A product that’s sold at 50-60% margin (google it) by a company that holds a monopoly on their own market (Apple products, not smartphones) has quality issues? Miraculous!
You’d almost think they’re a commercial company out to get the maximum profits out of their hardly innovating products! :P

Chris

I’ve had my evo 4G lte for months.. No damage to the aluminum. Just another crappy apple product.

phajej

We should all pay close attention to the scuffs and scratches… It could be a secret message written in Chinese to expose the harsh working conditions of Apple’s FoxConn partner.

Jay Martin

Gotta love the statistics this moron throws around – a poll from a freaking website where people are more more likely to be posting problems. Very scientific. And ultimately laughable.

http://twitter.com/FoxxiLadi27 Carrie Evans

Wow really let’s sit around and discuss how poorly Apple IPhone’s are. If you don’t like it don’t buy it. If you bought it and don’t like it return it. Get another phone, there are plenty different makes and model’s. Every new product has a bug or two that has to be ironed out. If not we would all be owning the same products because the first ones are so great and never upgrade to a newer and better version. So tired of people whining and jumping on the hater bus.

babiesdaddy

I agree with stop whining and go buy another product. Apple gives the perception that they make higher quality products so no one is hating when they fail to meet the expectations they create. I can buy a brand new Ford, Honda or a Bentley and I don’t expect for there to be any scratches on my vehicle. It’s new and it should look new, not refurbished. They are not a new company. How many Iphones have there been? At least 5. How many Ipods? Ipads? Macbooks? Maybe they figured out people and realized that if they made the phone the best way they know how they wouldn’t be able to add more features or upgrades. So they did what the auto industry does. They limit the new features and technology on cars so they can charge you more for the “limited edition” versions. That’s funny too. Actually the standard versions are the limited editions. They limit the improvements I get. Hey you get Abs brakes, air bags and A/C. Well I am buying a new 2012 car. I’m pretty sure my ’88 Lebaron had those same options.

I heard that the I-5 Foxxcon facility in china is shut down because the labor force is on strike. So if you had a recall, there may be no replacements.

WestCoastStar

Mine was fine out of the box. I added a light protective case for $15. End of story.

http://www.facebook.com/j.c.robinson Jay Robinson

Apple could have done themselves a favor by clear anodizing the iPhone. Wear would have been mostly invisible. And it would have hearkened back nicely to the original metal-backed model, while keeping the crisper aesthetics of the 4+. I guess the black and white options are expected now, but I’d have loved to see an all-aluminum case.

http://www.cardinalphoto.com David Cardinal

I realize it isn’t the same thing, but I did get a kick the other day after thinking about this issue and then going to cook dinner with the same anodized aluminum pots I’ve used for nearly 30 years. Sure they have some scratches, but after multiple thousands of scourings, they look pretty good. Reminded me that anodizing does have to mean trouble…

I am personally going to stick with iPhone 4S for now. Black iPhone 5 is a no go. What a fail. Some more info on all its problems here: Apple ScuffGate Response

http://twitter.com/KMaure kris maure

I had an iphone 4s .. it had reception issues and even when i was near a cellular comm. tower. My brother had a Iphone 4s alsp and it lasted 26 days.. it wouldn’t turn on all of a sudden and this happened right out of the blue. Now i have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and i love it.. why? ITS A QUALITY BUILT PHONE and has no issue. I ran with a Iphone for years and it was a good phone.. and still is.. but Apple and it manufacturing process is the issue. They are way to eager to make the phone for cheap and get it out to the stores for a high price.

crackerpie

this is totally bad apple should exchange those damage sets and need to solve this issue quickly
crackerpie.com

http://www.facebook.com/testone.testtwo.338 Noel Smith

Got a great case with my iPhone 5 a Metro alu. case from EDGE Design. Completely protects the phone without blocking the antennas.

http://www.facebook.com/testone.testtwo.338 Noel Smith

Got a great case with my iPhone 5 a Metro alu. case from EDGE Design. Completely protects the phone without blocking the antennas.

http://www.facebook.com/testone.testtwo.338 Noel Smith

Only answer is to buy a nice case like the Alfa case I got from EDGE Design. I love it and it is worth every penny.

Darren

I wish I could just return my iPhone 5 what a hunk of junk. Got constant problems with reception no sim card in it. Battery is forever low just junk.

MARJO

SAME AS MY IPHONE 5, WHEN I OPEN THE BOX, THERES A LITTLE CRACK IN THE BELOW SIDE PART OF THE FONE. I RETURN IT BACK TO THE GLOBE TO REPAIR OR TO REPLACE A NEW ONE. BUT AFTER REPLACEMENT THE NEW ONE AFTER A WEEK ALSO GOT A SMALL CRACK AGAIN AT THE SIDE OF THE FONE.MY IPHONE 5 HAS A PROTECTIVE RUBBER CASE TO AVOID DAMAGE. THE IPHONE 5 IS BRITTLE AND SENSITIVE.

hptheone

I have had anodized aluminium nokia phones for years and they have never scrached unless dropped and even then it is difficult to see where they have been scratched at first glance. In fact my Nokia N8 was as new after 2 years and my sister in law still uses it today. The simple answer is that it costs $200 or so dollars to make an Iphone 5 (with $8 dollars for manufacture) and sells for nearly 3 times that. If Apple spent money on quality components or made the phone themselves with their own components then there would not be a problem. When you buy bits from various manufacturers any problems are at the mercy of third party agreements and the difficulties associated with these agreements. The most effective solution is to choose another better quality phone and not be influenced by hype and focus on proven performance. theone42@live.co.uk

shristy dey

mobile iphone 5 rs what??? u tell me………plzzz

shristy dey

mobile iphone 5 rs what??? u tell me………plzzz

Sarah Keates

Im am so annoyed with my iPhone 5!! I recived it on 28may took it to store and they had told me I couldn’t take it back ! My phone case I brought yesterday isn’t compatible with it cause it’s an alaminum case my signal looses and wifi cuts of and can’t get my phone data either !!! I want to take this back to shop to see what thy can do let me someone please

Noe alires

Honestly their pretty visible. I know because my iphone 5 has the issue and what’s sad is since the day I purchased it, it’s had a zagg protector on front and back and a speck case which is an inner soft case to prevent scratching and a hard outer and never been misused in any way, yet I got the run around and hung up on by apple one store told me they had never heard anything about the issue and wouldn’t do anything for me even though my phone is barely gonna be 4 months old. Another stated yes we know about the issue but was only willing to exchange for another black 5 and on top of that I had to wait for 4 hours so a tech could see what the supervisor saw then I could exchange the phone??? What’s sad is I wasn’t even trying to get anything more than what I paid for all I asked was instead of black may I get a white I’d rather not risk having the issue again, but was told not gonna happen. This was the same thing apples customer relations stated. Pretty sad their not willing to exchange for the opposite color to prevent it from quite possibly happening again…..

Noe alires

Chojin99 and by no means is this apple bashing I live on my apple devices I’ve had very iphone since they first released same wt the iPods to my laptop and my iPad and iPad mini. So by no means am I bashing just disappointed… Would have been different if I was expecting them to upgrade me to a 5s or c but I wasn’t I was willing to settle for a white iphone which I did not want but would expect to remedy the problems and that was to much for then to handle

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